Fist of Steel, Will of Iron: The Road to War
by The Rev. T-Dog
Summary: Tensions rise at the Institute of War. Noxus and Demacia are at each others throats with the whole world at stake. Another Rune War looms ever large. In the midst all this, a soldier steps from the shadows to represent Ionia, and to try and protect her from the coming storm... Rated M for Violence, Swearing, and adult situations. Will contain possible Riven X Irelia and others.
1. Chapter 0: The Judment

A/N: Hello People! So I have not put any of my stuff on here in a LONG time. and the stuff that is on here, I think like one story, is crap. So here is the first bit of fan fic I've done in a while. This is a League Judgement for an OC of mine: Maximus, The Iron-Fist of Ionia. This was written to kick start my creative juices and get something actually typed. Things will start here essentially and while Maximus will play a big role in the story to come it will mostly center around a select group of champs rather than just one or two. As always Comments are welcome. Praise, critiques, even flames are welcome. just tell me what you think, and I hope you enjoy.

Candidate: Maximus Ironarm

Date: 28 January, 30 C.L.E

OBSERVATION:

Maximus Ironarm is every inch a soldier, from his horse-hair crested helm to the dull steel of his boots, and commands the respect of anyone in the room with him. His armor is pristine, its metal bands each shining as if newly made, but for the strange bloodied handprint above his heart, the oval shield on his left arm is a majestic piece of art, a mosaic of gold and steel while the crimson cape on his shoulders flutters like a battle standard in the morning breeze. At his hip is a Runic Hand-and-a-Half sword, its sheath and pommel alone seeming to almost glow in the light of the great hall. His face gives away his Ionian heritage, but little else. He walks with the impeccable cadence of one trained for years to march in formation, yet one can expect little else form the Commander of the Sons of War.

Maximus has been called the foil to Irelia. Where she stands guard over her people, he sallies forth to strike at their foes. The Iron Fist to Irelia's watchful blade. Cast out by his home land he still stands ready to fight, ready to die for Ionia. Maximus reaches the great marble doors laying a great gauntleted hand upon them, pushing inward. They open in a crisp fashion and he walks inside.

LEAGUE JUGDEMENT:

Maximus stands within the darkness of the room, waiting for the trial to begin. Suddenly a bright flash forces him to close his eyes. When he opens them he is gazing into Damnation itself. The entire village is on fire. He and his men must have just missed the Melter Barrage by minutes.

"Spread out!" He shouts to the men gathered behind him, "Make a sweep for survivors then move out! We need to be gone before the Noxian clean-up crews get here!"

The 200 men of Aquila Company split into squads and begin the search. As Maximus is about to call off the search, he hears a scream, and it wasn't from any of his troops. Someone is still alive, and they need help. Maximus runs as fast as his legs will carry him toward the sound of the commotion. When he finds it he feels his blood begin to boil. It is a woman, surrounded by 5 or 6 Noxian soldiers.

'They must be scouts…' thinks the commander as he draws the Rune-blade Monsdromen or _Mountain-Cleaver_ form its sheath. As he watches he sees that the woman is injured, with a cut on her side bleeding profusely, and that she is herding something behind her with her one hand, while the other brandished a dagger at the Noxians. There is a child with her, no more than 8 or 9 years old, and they are cornered. With that, Maximus saw red. He rushes into the group, knocking two soldiers airborne with a sweep of his shield. Positioning himself between the woman and the soldiers. Parrying a sword blow from his right the Commander uses his opponents sword as a fulcrum, circling his sword arm around his opponents guard and smashing his spiked fist into the soldier's head, taking him down. Whipping his sword away from the now dead Noxian he used his momentum to switch his feet, spinning 360 degrees and cleaving the remaining Noxians in twain. All of three seconds had past. Sheathing his sword, he turns to face the woman. She is lying on the ground, her wound still spilling blood and the child, her daughter, kneeling next to her in hysterics. Kneeling next to her, Maximus removes his helmet and looks back over his shoulder yelling,

"HEALER!" hoping that at least one of the squads heard him,, he turns back to the woman before him only to find her clutching his hand,

"P-p-please, it is too late… for me… keep her safe…" gasps the woman, now struggling even to breathe.

"Be still, we will get you out of here." Knowing now that there is no hope, she is bleeding too much, and the breathing suggests she has a punctured lung, sealing her fate.

"Promise me… promise me you… will save her…" the wheezing now growing worse  
"I will. You have my word."

"Swear it… Bellumpuer (Warchild)…" says the woman, looking him in the eye now

Maximus hesitates for a spilt second, before removing his right gauntlet and a combat knife. Cutting open his right palm and making a fist he says,

"I, Maximus Ironarm, Commander and Centurion Primus of the Sons of War, The Fist of Ionia, swear to take this child into my care." Maximus vaguely notices the men gathering around him, but focuses wholly on his words, "I shall clothe her, feed her, and care for her as if she were my own flesh and blood. So long as I breathe no harm shall come to her, so long as I have strength no evil shall befall her. By my ancestors and by my honor so do I swear." He says, placing the bloodied hand over his heart, sealing the Oath.

"Bless you, Bellumpuer…. Bless yo…" and thus the light left her eyes.

Maximus forces back his rage at having to watch another of his countryman die, and turns to face the child. She was not crying now, she was not even moving, she just sat there, numb.

Maximus reached out and touched her face, this seems to jolt her out of her numbness as she recoils from it.

"We must move from here." Says Maximus awkwardly, not knowing really what to say.

No response.

"Can you walk?"

A small nod.

"What is your name?"

"Viera.." squeaks a small voice

"Cmon Viera, we have to go…" says Maximus, starting to get up.

"Why do you wish to join the League of Legends?" Says the girl suddenly, drawing Maximus' attention.

"What?"

"Why do you wish to join the League of Legends?" she repeats. Maximus sighs, before responding,

"I swore to this woman, to your mother that I would keep you safe my dear. And this is the best way I see to do that. If I can help make this world a safer, more peaceful place, that means a better world for you to grow up in. It will also let me make sure that this…" he says, gesturing to the hellscape surrounding them, "…is never allowed to happen again."

"How does it feel exposing your mind?" Viera asks, looking up at him for the first time.

"Like pouring salt on a wound, but if that is what must be done… then so be it"

The landscape then disappears, and Maximus is left in the dark room. Suddenly in front of him a door opens, letting bright light in that nearly blinds him. He then stands, straitens himself, and walks through the portal thinking,

'Now the real challenge begins'


	2. Chapter 1: Heroes Reunite

**Heroes Reunite, The past is explored **

Thrulios "T-Dog" Relsirc was nervous.

Actually, nervous was an understatement. He was almost completely terrified. There was a new champion entering the league that day, and he had been chosen to be their guide through the institute. He had barely graduated to full Level summoner by that time, and had only volunteered to act as a guide to gain favor with the higher-ups. He never thought he would actually be called upon to do the job.

Thrulios stood about 5'11, with close cut head of obsidian hair concealed beneath the hood of his summoner's robes. His deep emerald eyes and strong, square face mark him as a Freljordian. Most of his pale skin was covered by the robes he wore, which marked him as a full Level 30 summoner.

'Calm down T-Dog,' he thought to himself, 'you'll be fine. Just show him around a bit, show to his room, then you're done, it'll be easy…' The summoner was jerked back to reality by the doors to the judgment chamber opening and his charge stepping out. He was massive.

The man known as The Fist of Ionia stood at least 7' tall. His great helm was topped with a horse-hair crest running side-to-side. The metal of the helm flared at the back to protect the neck as well as extend forward to cover the cheeks and brow. This left only the eyes, nose, and mouth visible. There also seemed to be some kind of white cloth covering the left eye and cheek of the great warrior, as if covering some massive wound. His chest was covered with a strange type of armor. The armor was formed from horizontal metal bands, slated one over the other and bound together with chain-mail and leather. This extended down his torso and over his arms. It stopped at the elbow, with chain-mail also covering the joint to allow for free movement, with his fore-arms covered by plate-metal gauntlets ending in wickedly spiked metal gloves. He had a great oval shield strapped to his left arm, with a hand-and-a-half sword buckled beneath it. Starting at the waist and covering his thighs was… what could only be described as a skirt made of slats of vertically aligned steel plates covering a leather interior. His shins and feet were covered by great metal plated leather boots. All in all he was a magnificent and terrifying presence.

Many of the summoners walking through the great hall openly stopped and stared at the man. Thrulios realized he should go and get this over with. As he was walking up to the man Thrulios thought he saw a look of irritation on the Ionian's face.

'Maybe this isn't such a wise idea…' thought T-Dog, even as he continued to walk closer. Then he realized something. The look that he had mistaken for anger, was actually confusion,

'He has no idea what to do.' Thought the summoner, 'Well, let's go help him out then.'

T-Dog cleared his throat, causing the new champion to look squarely at him. Gulping slightly, now nervous again he said,

"H-hello great champion and welcome to the Institute of War." Realizing that the soldier had not beheaded him yet he spoke with slightly more confidence. "I am Thrulios "T-Dog" Relsirc and I will be your guide for your first day here."

The man's eyes lit up as he responded, "Ah! A pleasure summoner, I am Maximus Ironarm, Centurion Primus of the Sons of War. Listen," he said, leaning down in a slightly conspiratorial manner, "I'm not sure whether to stand on ceremony or not, and I know there is supposed to be a tour, but can you show me where the champions eat? I've been traveling for three days and I am starving."

Thrulios blinked, and then almost started laughing with relief. This man wasn't interested in the intricacies of the institute, or with how summoners magic worked, or anything like that. He was just a soldier coming into a new environment, a superb soldier no doubt, he wouldn't have made it into the institute otherwise, but still a soldier none the less. He wanted food, shelter, and place to talk. This relieved Thrulios to no end.

"Of course!" T-Dog said, indicating with his thumb behind him, "I was going to get lunch before the call came through to meet you here. C'mon, I'll show you the dining hall." Said the summoner, turning around and walking in the indicated direction. He stopped when he heard the sound of clanking and scraping metal before realizing it was the armor of the man behind him and continuing on.

The pair entered the Dining Hall and was greeted by the sight of the lunch rush. Maximus stood there amazed at the sight. So many people from so many different cultures it was astounding. Warriors from the Freljordian clans, Noxian and Demacian soldiers, Piltarian engineers and scientists, Zaunite alchemists, Bandle Cities' famed scouts, and Bilgewater Pirates, not to mention the multitude of bizarre freaks and creatures of the institute.

"Is it normally this… crowded?" asked the Soldier, still gazing about him in awed wonder.

"It fluctuates; many of the champions keep residences here. There is a major tournament series being held in 2 weeks so all champions are required to be here." Replied the guide.  
"I see. Well that's good to know. Say, where is the Ionian food here? I have had a good meal in days."

"Umm… The Ionian table is over here I believe. The city states have assigned tables for the tournament."

"Ah yes of course. Lead on." Said the commander indicating in front of himself. He looked in the direction of the summoner and locked on a very familiar set of eyes.  
'Let's see how _this _goes…'

Irelia Lito was not one to be surprised, by anything or anyone. She was a Warrior, a leader, and the heir to the Hiten Style. But the presence she sensed here was enough to give her pause.

Most blades she encountered had relatively simple auras, most just seemed to be screaming, "Blood! Death! Slaughter!" Some, such as Talon's great arm blade, had mantras, "Forever Strong. The weak shall perish. Blood for Noxus…" even her own blades had their own mantra, 'Balance in all things. Fight for the innocent. Honor to the Lito Clan…"

The blade she felt approaching she could Identify simply from its aura, and thus its owner, "Honor, Discipline, Duty. Strength does not beget Justice. Conflict is growth. Glory to the Sons of War…" She turned her head to find a large soldier standing in the entrance to the dining hall, seemingly looking for something. A summoner next to him pointed toward the long table she sat at with the other Ionian Champions, including the great healer Soraka, Duchess Karma, Master Yi and Wukong of the Wuju Style and Master Lee Sin of the Shojin, The Kinkou Triumvirate, the beast man Udyr, and even Ahri, Varus. The soldier turned towards their table and began making his way over to them.

"Well, Well , Well. Looks like we'll be getting those reinforcements for the tournament after all." Said the Guard Captain.

"What makes you think that?" Asked Master Yi, not looking up from his food.  
"We've got a new champion joining the League, and he's one of ours." Said Irelia, now grinning slightly

Everyone at the table looked up at this comment. Just as they did the great Armored soldier reach the table. Standing next to Irelia, he came to attention, brought his right fist to his breast and spoke, it a crisp clear voice,  
"Centurion Primus Maximus Ironarm reporting for duty Captain Lito."

Irelia then rose from her seat, returned the salute and spoke, "At ease, and well met Maximus, Balance and Peace upon you."

"And to you as well captain." He said, before looking down at the woman before him with a tired smile, "It is good to see you again Irelia."

"And you as well old friend."

Suddenly from across the table a new voice spoke up, "Why are you here?"

Maximus looked up confused, "Excuse me?"

"Why are you here?" said the speaker, who everyone identified as none other that Duchess Karma.

"To Fight," Replied the Soldier, "for my country and for my people."

"Why?" asked the Duchess, "The Trial for the Isle is over, the southern provinces reclaimed, Ionia no longer has need of warlords like yourself." Though the words were biting, and drew glares from every war veteran at the table, each of whom knew of maximus' deeds. But Irealia noticed the word lacked karma's usual fire and confiction, as if she were simply going through a script. She saw the Commander smile slightly before answering,

"Seeing as how this is the Institute of War, Duchess, there will always be a need here for 'Warlords' like me." Karma seemed to visibly relax at that before smiling and saying,

"It is wonderful to see you again Maximus. Come, please sit." She said, indicating the table. As confused as Irelia was by the turn of events, she sat back down at the table before beginning to question Karma.

"Pardon me Duchess, but what exactly was all that about?" Karma had already begun to start eating again, and so had to take a moment to finish before saying,

"Even as a Champion within the League I am still a member of the Council of Elders. Seeing as how the Council and Maximus parted on…less than ideal terms, I felt it my duty to question him slightly. Granted it was not the most grilling of interviews, the very fact that I did question him should keep the council away from the matter until Maximus is settled in and ready to speak to them directly."

"A clever strategy." Spoke the Blind Monk a few chairs down. Maximus chuckled slightly before taking off his great helm. The cloth underneath wrapped around the left eye and much of the left side of his face, he then paused a moment before speaking, as a plate of food was brought before him by a small creature in a purple robe. The face was obscured but two great yellow eyes could be seen beneath the cowl. Stare after the creature curiously, Maximus then spoke,

"You all have no idea how wonderful it is to be among familiar faces again. Though there are some here that I do not recognize…" he said, turning first toward the Kinkou Triumvirate, "Shen, Kennan," he said, inclining his head, "Mountain and Thunder watch over you. You, however, are unknown to me, yet strangely familiar…" he said, he gaze now upon the third and singular female member of the Triumvirate.  
"I am Akali, The Fist of Shadows. It is an honor to finally meet you face to face." Said the ninja,

"Impossible, I knew the Fist of Shadows personally. And she would not have gotten younger since last we meet." Said the Commander

"That was my Mother, I am now the Fist of Shadows." Said the ninja in reply.

"Interesting," said the commander quietly, "very interesting. Very well then. Well met Akali of the Kinkou, may your blades stay sharp and your wits sharper."

"And you," he said, pointing to the Kitsune sitting nearby, "who are you?"

"I am Ahri, and may I just say how nice it will be to have another big strong man for our team." Said the fox, sexuality and seduction dripping from her voice. Maximus raised his one good eyebrow and turned to Irelia,

"Succubus?" he asked bluntly. Suddenly T-Dog spoke up,

"Not exactly, she is some kind of, what we call, soul stealer. She was originally an actual fox, but she began absorbing the life forces of humans and began to look like one. Due to her…natural gifts, seduction was her preferred method of hunting prey." Said the summoner

"I don't really see a difference but fine." Said the commander in a slightly dismissive tone.

"I'm sorry about that." Said Ahri, sounding surprisingly genuine, "I just get a bit more…excited around new people."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. Besides, could've been worse, at least you're easy on the eyes." He said looking back down to his food momentarily, smiling the whole time. Ahri giggled slightly before responding,

"Why, thank you Commander." The summoner looked up at the soldier, slightly incredulous,

"Did you just seriously flirt with a succubus?"

"I thought you said she wasn't a succubus?"

"You know what I mean." The commander laughed slightly at this, looking back up from his food,

"Calm down, Thrulios. Now then," he said, looking to the large monkey sitting at the table, "who or what the hell are you?" the Monkey looked up at him and spoke,

"I am Wukong, student of the Wuju style under Master Yi, the greatest swordsman in the Ionian Isles! And I plan to be the best fight there is! Also, not to be rude, but what happened to your fa- OWW!" Master Yi looked at his pupil and lifted his foot from Wukong's tail before speaking,

"That is a _very_ rude question to ask, my pupil." He said in a hard tone.

"That's not necessary Master Yi. As it could affect my performance in battle…I suppose he has a right to know. As does everyone else her" Said the commander, sighing, then looking the monkey in the eye, "It was the 3rd year of the Noxian Invasion, and things were going poorly. Most units of the Ionian guard and of the Sons of War were being routed under the constant pressure of the Noxian and Zuanite forces. I had taken my personal command, Aquila Company, numbering 200 men, as well as about 2 companies of guardsmen, and gone to secure Reclodir Pass. If we could hold that position, we could provide time for the evacuation of civilians to the north. The 2 Guardsmen companies arrived before us, and ran right into the advancing Zuanite Melter Divisions. They were massacred before we could reach them. Knowing we could not stop the melters alone, I came up with a plan. The 200 men of Aquila Company would hide amongst the dead, and wait for the rear guard unit for the melter division. If we could cut them off, we would force them to retreat for lack of supplies." Maximus pauses, takes a drink from a glass of water innfront of him, and then continues, "Unfortunately the rear-guard unit was Fury Company. Noxian Heavy Shock troops, led by the Great Butcher of Noxus herself, Riven."

He pauses again, this time his left hand begins shaking slightly, before he clenches it into a fist, stopping the tremors and continuing, "Fury and Aquila had clashed many times before this, as we were the best of the best for our respective militaries. There was a local girl, from a nearby village that wondered through just as Fury came into our kill zone. When they were distracted with her, we charged them." He sighs again, "It was a brutal fight. We clashed with the force of two great bulls running headlong into each other. I moved to engage Riven just as she fired off an emergency flare. I thought nothing of it at the time, we were winning. We were pushing in on finally ending this rivalry. But that blasted alchemist Singed had other plans." He then stops, and unwinds the cloth from his head, and the extent of his injuries was revealed.

The entire left side of his face was covered in scar tissue. Most of the hair from that side of his head was gone, along with his ear, what hair remained was bleached a greyish white. His eye socket was empty and seemed almost partially melted shut. The burns did not extend to his nose but they did give his cheek the appearance of having molded itself to his jawbone, so compressed and hardened was the skin there. Those non-veterans at the table recoiled in sheer horror at the sight of it, those who had fought looked on sadly, as they had seen this and worse before. "Not exactly appealing now, am I fox?" he said, chuckling humorlessly. Ahri, too stunned to respond or even move, simply stared in frightened wonderment as to how anyone could survive such injuries outside the fields of justice.

"A melter barrage. The Zuanite fuckers brought down a melter barrage. As soon as the first shell hit it was over, neither of our units could survive this and Riven and I both knew it. But we kept fighting, determined to see who was the better fighter." He scoffs as he begins to rap the cloth around his head again, "It was stupidly foolish, but we didn't care. We were locked in a stalemate, even it the chaos around us neither of us could land a killing blow. Then suddenly I saw a flash, then darkness." He finishes re-wrapping and begins indicating with his hands, "An acid shell had landed not 3 feet from me and gone off, it ate through my shield, armor and helmet like it was nothing, and had shattered my blade _Monsdromen_. Were it not for my training it would have melted right through me too. But it didn't, and that is where I got both these scars and my name." The people at the table now appear to be quite confused. Maximus chuckled humorlessly and said, "You didn't think I had the name Ironarm from birth did you?"

"When I awoke I was delirious from pain and the chemicals that were still in the air. I gathered what pieces of my sword I could and went into the forest, everything is hazy for a while after that, I remember a sword fight with someone, but only bits and pieces. I eventually returned to my troops and to the war, and well, the rest is a story for a different time." He said, looking through the silent and grim faces around him, before digging back into his food. Thrulios, who sat next to him, looked like he might actually be sick.

Irelia was the first person to speak up, "Well it's good to see that your story-telling abilities have gotten rusty."

The commander laughed at this, a sad but genuine laugh, and said, "Indeed, though I don't know how much it will come in handy here, it's still a good skill to have."

"Were you a Storyteller before you joined the Sons of War?" asked Soraka, her curiosity now peaked in spite of the oppressively depressed atmosphere of the last few minutes.

"While I have been told I am a rather decent Bard and Tale-Weaver, no, I have never known a life outside The Sons of War, at least none that I can remember."

"Could ya tell another one? Maybe one that brings back my appatite?" Asked Wukong.

"I don't know about you appetite, but I could tell another story, something more befitting a gathering of champions and hero…That is if no one was any objections?" None were raised so he began, "Long before The Rune wars rocked the land, before the shurima turned to sand, Ionia was a primal land, bare of her thoughts and temples grand…" Thus he told the tale of Ionia's rise to enlightenment by the hand of the first Sovereigns. It was a simple tale that every Ionian knew, but he spun it in a way that helped to take the Champions minds off of the horror of his own history, and the stress of the league, if only for a short time.

_**A/N: Well there it is, the first chapter. It's mostly exposition yes, but it's necessary to set up the plot and sub-plots I plan on addressing. This took way longer than it should have, but I'm happy with it. I apparently have a follower for this story, so I hope you like it bro. **_

_**Did you like it? Hate it? Meh? Post a review and let me know, any kind of reviews are welcome. Wanna flame me? Go for it! They keep me warm at night.**_

_**I got a lot of work in the coming weeks, so the next update might be a while, but it will get here… eventually…**_


	3. Chapter 2: The Fist spills blood

**_A/N: Hey there guys, I'm back! And it's a LONG one today, but then again I've been gone a LONG time. So there are a couple of things I'd like to go over before we get into this chapter and they are as follows:_**

**_This story is divided into 3 arcs that I have pretty much planned out in my head._**

**_ I. Tournament of Legends, The Triumvirate Unites_**

**_ II. Old Wounds Re-Opened, Second Battle for the Placidium_**

**_ III. The Stage is Set, The Hammer Falls_**

**_So there will be elements brought up at the beginning that might not be addressed until the second or third "act" of this Great Valoran Comedy. So I ask you to be patient with it._**

**_Secondly, I have this thought process about the champions that is not exactly consistent with how they are normally portrayed. I feel like some of them have almost a duel personality, one for the fields of justice and one for everyday life. I have a couple of champions that this is quite extreme for, and some where it is a bit more subtle. Let me know what you think of these portrayals and what I can do better with them. There's only one example in this chapter as it's a bit of a trial run, and I still want to stay true to the history, if not the exact spirit, of the characters… and I'm rambling now. Like I said, just let me know your thoughts on this._**

**_Also, in case the summery didn't make it clear, there will be violent and bloody scenes in this story. If there is anything confusing or unclear in this chapter please let me know, either by review or PM and I'll get to work on fixing it. I have no beta and so if you see something don't hesitate to point it out._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own League of Legends or any of its characters, all rights go to Riot Games. I own Maximus and the story itself and that is all._**

Now then, on with the show!

**Connections are made, The Fist spills blood.**

Diana was in a positively foul mood.

She had been woken early by some random summoner, **_at the crack of dawn no less_**. And was it for a match? To get to stomp other champions? No! She was here on the proving grounds to play test case for a new arrival. Being one of the newer champions, along with the oversized cat and the voidling cockroach, the summoners obviously thought that perhaps new friendships might be formed by those common threads.

'Augh.' Thought Diana, 'this is probably just another idiotic brute, just kill him quickly and you can get back to sleep…' She thought. Having been pacing back and forth across the great bridge, her thoughts thus occupied she was surprised when a voice sounded from across the bridge from her,

"Let's see… Armor is of Lunari make, high-ranking clergy judging by the quality of the craftsmanship. Hmm. Standard gauntlets and greaves, but the breastplate appears custom made, very high ranking indeed, probably first or second class War-Priestess. Relatively little face paint, no facial scaring and no tattoos point to very little battle outside the Fields of Justice. How am I doing so far?"

After initially being startled by how quietly the man had approached she took time to examine him as he spoke. He was tall and broad, and covered with armor from head to toe. His right hand held a polished hand-and-a-half sword, while a shield was strapped to his left. The armor he wore seemed strangely familiar to Diana, but she pushed her curiosity about it to the side as she realized that he was saying things that there was no way he could know, there was no way anyone could know them. Diana raised and pointed her great crescent blade at him,

"How did you know all of that? How do you know so much about a people so long dead?" she demanded of him. This man had just spouted information on the Lunarii that even Diana hadn't known from all her years of research and examination of the temples she'd found.

"Dead?" asked the great man confusedly, then he looked at her blade and a look of sudden realization took over what features were visible under his helmet, "I know that blade…" He then straightened himself, brought his sword arm to his breast, and bowed slightly at the waist saying, "The Centurion Primus salutes the Lunar Avatar, may the Mountains and Thunder guide you."

Diana snorted at this, her academic curiosity taking a back seat to her usually zealous persona, "I follow only the light of the Moon, fool. Your ignorant beliefs matter little to me."

As she said this she then realized where she had seen that armor before. It had been depicted in one of the great murals adorning the walls of one of the temples she had discovered. Though faded, it had depicted two great warriors; one was obviously Diana's predecessor, the other wore armor identical to the man across from her. The two appeared to be almost back-to-back fighting an unseen foe, the barely legible words beneath it had said, as best she could decipher: 'Glory and Honor to our Brothers in the East! May the Moon ever bless and guide the Children of the Mountains to Victory!'

"It is merely a traditional greeting amongst the Sons of War, but if you wish to take offence that is your problem" he said shrugging

"Any other worship clouds the truth of the heavens. Those who do not acknowledge that, die." She said firmly. The great armored warrior openly laughed at this, not a harsh or condescending laugh, but a light and jovial chuckle, as if recalling some grand and amusing experience.

"Ah to be young and naïve again! What a glorious thing it would be." He said. Diana, taking this as a jab at her, responded hotly,

"Do not mock me, Brute! I will hand you your head!" The warrior quirked he head at this,

"I do not mock you child, nor do I belittle your standing or office. I am merely stating my amazement at your youth and vigor! Were it that I were so young again, I would have match you zealous piety step for step, and blow for blow. But I am older now and such things are a luxury I can no long afford." He said in the calming voice of a mentor speaking to a young student. Diana realized that she was far too tired to keep up appearances, and she would never find out what this stranger knew if she made him think of her as a crazed zealot. She sighed deeply before responding,

"Yes I suppose that was a bit harsher than was needed." She said, her fiery anger now dissipated. The warrior appeared utterly surprised at this,

"Well that was unexpected. Perhaps there is some hope for you after all." He said, now smiling slightly.

"You never answered my question. The Lunarii have been dead for centuries, how could you have known those things?" she asked

"My predecessors knew it, and so thus I know it as well." He said plainly, yet infuriatingly cryptically.

"That doesn't make any sense…" said Diana confusedly.

"It is difficult to explain, especially with a limited timeframe. What say you to this? Meet me after this match is over and we shall discuss this in detail, hmm?"

"Very well." Diana responded.

"Alright then, now we were brought here to fight. Shall we get on with it?."

Diana responded by send a crescent strike towards the great warrior before he could react. And the fight was on.

Leona walked in to the East wing Common Room to see what the commotion was about. Having just gotten up to get breakfast she was slightly shocked to see almost everyone gathered in the common room this early. This wing of the Institute was shared by three groups, The Demacian champions, the champions of Ionia, and many of the unaffiliated champions for the League. Mostly all of whom where now gathered around the large HD Viewing Orb near the far wall.

"Wha…What's going on?" she asked with a yawn. The ninja yordle named Kennan turned to her from one of the couches and spoke,

"Diana's fighting the new guy, Maximus, for his trial match." He said before looking back at the viewing globe at the nearby wall.

"Who is he fighting for?"

"Ionia," responded the ninja, "so we all came to support him."

"How does it look so far?"

"Yes, how does our newest addition fare?" said a new voice. Pantheon emerged from the hallway Leona had just come from; walking up to the viewing orb he examined the Warrior on the screen, "He appears to be quite a formidable foe. But he's not part of any Ionia group I recognize." Said the Hoplite.

"He is the leader of The Sons of War, a group of Ionian citizen-soldiers who believe that true growth can only be achieved through physical and philosophical conflict." Said the Ionian Guard Captain Irelia.

"Sounds like he belongs up on Mount Targon with us, eh Leona?" said the Hoplite, looking towards his fellow champion. Before Leona could answer, Kennan spoke up once again,

"Yeah, but the Sons of War make the Rakkor look like pussies." Said the ninja. Leona quirked her eyebrow at this, looked down towards the ninja and said,

"Is that the Kinkou Order's official analysis?" she asked jokingly,

"Yes." Said Shen and Akali simultaneously. Both keeping a completely straight face and even tone while doing so. There was a moment of silence before everyone burst out laughing, including Pantheon and Leona themselves. When the laughter died down Pantheon spoke again,

"Well here's to hoping he can take the moonstruck bitch down a peg!" said the Rakkor warrior before taking a seat. Just as he did so Diana unleashed on of her Crescent Strikes and the fight began.

The warrior opposite the Lunari has no time to react as he was hit with the blast full force. As this was a trial or "brawler" match, there were no real restrictions on champion powers, thus the Crescent Strike would have taken many champions off their feet. However the Ionia warrior stood firm shield raised. But Leona knew that since the strike had connected Diana was about to use her Lunar Rush to close the gap between them. Leona felt sorry for the Ionian, he had no idea what was coming. Diana did just as predicted and slammed into the warrior with a blast of arcane energy, and that's when the battle turned.

As soon as he recovered the Ionian warrior, in spite of the immense damage he must have taken from the combo, brought the proverbial hammer down on the unprepared Lunari, who clearly thought this would be an easy kill. He rained down a quick series of blows so fast Leona could not follow them with her eyes, and it was clear Diana could barely follow with her blade. He swept upwards with his first strike, quickly transferring his momentum into a stab at Diana's midsection when the sword was blocked. When she jumped back to evade, he then brought his shield around, still maintaining momentum, and began twisting himself to maintain his balance as he brought his sword across her torso to knock her sword out of position. He swung his shield around with enough force Leona swore she could hear the crunch and snap of bone as it connected and buckled Diana's breastplate. Leona quietly gasped at this, earning looks of confusion from some, and anger from others for interrupting.

Bringing the rest of himself around the Warrior brought his sword down for a finally overhand chop that would have cloven Diana in twain if it had connected. The Lunari barely brought her sword up in time to intercept the killing blow, but by doing so granted her enough time to summon her Pale Cascade shield. Having thus protected herself she then slammed the warrior with the balls of energy summoned alongside the Cascade, staggering him enough so that she could retreat back toward her tower. Leona smiled triumphantly at this, much to the surprise of the Ionia healer Soraka sitting next to her,

"What has got you so happy? I would think you would be glad to see Diana soundly defeated for once." Said the healer, Leona looked over to the other woman, and said,

"Well I feel like someone should be pulling for her, it is a two-sided match after all." said the Sun Avatar lamely.

"Well yes, I just wouldn't have expected it to be you that's all, given your rivalry at least." Leona did not respond to this, blushing slightly, she looked back to the viewing orb to see what was happening…

Diana was gasping for breath even as she attempted to figure out what had just happened.

'He is faster than he looks.' She thought, 'Ok, ok, think. That armor is made of bands, if I can get my blade under one of them, I can gut him. The only problem is getting close to him. I'll need to wear him down first…'

Diana then finally noticed the minions fighting each other in the lane. She then came up with a plan. Sending out another Crescent Strike she made sure to graze one of the minions with it, not enough to kill it, but rather just mark it. The Blast then connected with the Great warrior marking him as well. Diana channeled her energy into her great Moonsilver Blade and performed her lunar rush towards the warrior. Swinging her blade in a wide easy to read arc, the warrior easily intercepted it, not realizing that Diana didn't need a direct hit, just a surface to impact. As soon as the blades connected, the energy in Diana blade exploded forth, damaging the warrior and putting him off balance. Before he could counterattack Diana dashed to the marked minion and then to another further up the lane, putting a safe distance between the two.

Diana had noticed when she had gotten close that there was some sort of bandage over the warriors left eye. She could use this to her advantage. She repeated the maneuver two more times, each time staying on the left side of the warrior to throw off his vision. After the second time he spoke,

"Ok you've had your fun. MY TURN!" Diana turned just in time to have the Shield that had been strapped to the warriors arm hit her in the face, breaking her nose. Bringing her arm to her nose, she looked up just in time to see the giant Warrior nearly on top of her. Their swords connected and the battle continued.

Despite Diana clear advantage in agility over the hulking warrior she could not make it show. As soon as she moved out of range he would close the gap and being hammering at her defenses again. He was clearly the better swordsman of the pair, never allowing her to go on the offensive for more than one or two blows. There was however a weakness Diana knew she could exploit. From fighting against swordsmen like Garen, Irelia, Talon, and Riven, she knew that when a good swordsman got into a groove like this they began to block out the outside world, completely focused on killing their target. If she could break this concentration, she would have a chance for a decisive blow.

Gaining slight distance from the warrior, she waited until he moved at her before bringing the point of her great blade down and activating her Moonfall spell. This spell was powerful enough to knock any champion of the fields of justice airborne, and it did not fail her here. The warrior was lifted off of his feet before coming crashing back down to earth. In this moment of vulnerability, Diana quickly moved behind the warrior, chose one of the armor gaps, highlighted by the kneeling warrior, and slipped her blade into it. She felt immense satisfaction as the blade stuck flesh. Rather than pull it directly back out, Diana quickly pulled the blade along the armor gap until it came out of the warrior's side, maximizing the damage done by the blow. She then quickly darted to her starting position in front of the warrior as he stood, blood now almost gushing from his wound.

"AH! Well struck, Chosen. Well struck." He said, genuine compliment in his tone even as he groaned in pain.

"Thank you." She said automatically, not used to receive complements while activity in battle. Just as the word crossed her lips she saw the warrior charge at her, going for what looked like a full form tackle.

'This is gonna hurt.' she thought in the second before impact. All-in-all the entire warrior weighed about 350lbs in full armor, and if he had been recorded at that moment would have clocked in at 45 Mph.

It felt like getting hit by Nautilus…if he were being fired out of a cannon.

Diana went flying backwards. Landing within her turret's range, she lay there a moment to hate her life for having her put up with this so early in the morning. When she lifted herself again, barely able to stand at this point, she noticed the warrior had not moved from the point of impact, and his shoulders and chest heaving with the effort of breathing. He then looked up to her and said,

"Time to end this, It was a good fight child." Diana was about to issue a challenge when the warrior looked to the sky, raised his right fist and yelled, "Aquila Company! Forward!"

Thinking that he had now genuinely gone insane from head trauma and blood loss, Diana watched in disbelief as the warrior approached her turret. Suddenly figures began appearing around him. Phantoms armed with the same armor as the warrior himself. There must have been hundreds of them. They lowered their shield, swords pointed forward. They then all at the same time charged the turret. Diana knew it was over, but was determined to take her opponent with her. Waiting until the very last moment, pretending to be doubled over in pain, Diana prepared to strike. Just as the Phantoms were on top of her she lunged for the warrior leading them. She "felt" a pulling sensation as the warrior's sword entered her gut but kept on going, aiming her blade at an angle she slipped the blade in between the armor slats and felt the tip strike home beneath the ribcage. She then fell to the ground, her spine severed from the sword now protruding from her back. As her fingers slipped off the handle and the darkness crept in she heard the warrior speak,

"Well fought young one. Perhaps there is some hope for your people after all…" before he too fell to the ground.

The entire common room was silent as everyone processed what had just happened. Irelia then spoke up, breaking the silence,

"Well, at least he'll keep things interesting I suppose."

At this everyone chuckled slightly and then broke out into conversation. Realizing the excitement was now over, Leona wandered to the Dining hall to finally get breakfast.

Diana felt the familiar electric sensation of being summoned back from the fields. As she landed back on the summoning platform she turned towards the summoner at the far end of the room,

"Are we done here?" she asked, she wanted to speak to that warrior as quickly as possible.

"Yes, we are. Thank you for your time Champion Diana." Said the summoner absently as he finished the rites to close down the summoning platform. Hearing this, Diana turned on her heels and quickly left the room. As she walked out she saw the Warrior walking from the opposite summoning chamber. She then lifted her hand and called out to him, simultaneously beginning to walk over to him,

"Hey!" She yelled, causing him to look up from an apparent conversation with his summoner from this match. Ending said conversation he then made his way towards her, meeting her in the middle of the great hallway.

"Greetings Chosen! And well fought! I have not had a battle that hard in a long time." he said, his voice complementary and impressed.

"You said we could talk after the battle, shall we begin?" Said the Avatar, not interested in beating around the bush.

"Indeed we shall. But first, have you eaten yet?" he asked,

"No." Diana responded simply, with her stomach rumbling to second the fact.

"Then we shall speak over breakfast." He said, now smiling and indicating the direction of the dining hall, "Shall we?"

As impatient as she was for answers, Diana had to admit she was quite famished by this point. Recognizing the wisdom of killing two birds with one stone, she said, "Very well then. Lead on."

Stepping forward the great warrior and the Lunari began the trek to the dining hall. As they walked the Warrior seemed to realize something and turned to Diana,

"I never actually got your name Chosen." He said

"Oh," said Diana, realizing that she had not introduced herself, "Diana, I have no surname as I gave it up when I was exiled."

"Maximus Ironarm." He said, extending his hand for her to shake. After she did so he turned back to face ahead once more. Diana became more curious at this revelation,

"Not exactly an ordinary Ionian name is it?" she said in response

"It was not given to me at birth. I received this name when the Sons of War found me in the foothills surrounding Patroga Fortress." He said, his tone carrying finality in it.

As they reached the dining hall Maximus stopped and turned to face her once again,

"Get your food and I shall meet you at the Ionian table," he said, pointing to a table at the far end of the hall, "that should give us a spot to talk." Diana nodded at this and split off to retrieve her meal.

Diana was now very curious as to what information could be provided by this Ionian warlord. If he could help her to discover more Lunari temples like the one near Mount Targon, it might just be the kick start she needed to revive the Lunari faith. Just as the thoughts began to crystalize in her mind the aforementioned warrior sat down across from her, with a veritable mountain of food on his plate. She had to lean around it just to give him a confused stare.

"What?" he asked, part of a rice cake coming out of his mouth, "I'm a hungry man. Eat, I'm not leaving anytime soon." He said, waving the rice cake to indicate her food. Realizing the conversation wouldn't start until the commander was ready, Diana dug into her own meal of meats and bread.

About five minutes later Diana was finishing up the last of her meal. As she finished the last piece of bread from her plate there was a rather loud belch from across the table. She looked across to see the commander's food also gone. Scrunching her nose at the display of poor taste, she looked back up at the commander to see him smiling.

"You must forgive me Chosen. It has been a long time since I've had good meals on a consistent basis. The Tempest Flats aren't the most fertile of lands. It is a luxury you never recognize until it is gone. But now to business. Let me preface this by asking you what it is you know about the Lunari. If I know that, I can better help to fill in the blanks with what little additional knowledge I have."

"Alright," said Diana, "fair enough. From the two temples I've found so far, the Lunari order stretches back millennia to before the first Rune War. There appears to even have been a time where the Solari and Lunari were allied or even combined in some areas. Then about 1,000 or so years ago something hit them that dropped their numbers dramatically, which we know, of course, was the Solari Purge, conducted by the last Chosen of the Sun. At this point the Lunari all but vanished and their records were burned."

"Alright then. For a bit of background to my connection to this, I shall begin at the beginning…" he said. Diana then noticed his one visible eye seemed to lose focus, as if gazing far into the distance, before he spoke again, his voice different, deeper, and more ethereal

_Long before the Rune Wars, and the rivalries of late_  
_In the time of legends old, our Primus sealed our fate  
For we are of a different land, Of that there can be no doubt  
Our true home lies far from here, in the mountains to the South  
We spent our days upon those peaks, under the nights so starry  
For we were bold in those days of old, in the Kingdom of the Caelari _

Maximus' eye now seemed to refocus and his voice returned to normal, "So spoke the Centurion Primus." He said, before taking another drink.

"Alright, what was that?" asked Diana, now more confused than ever

"That was the earliest verbal record of my order having any other home beyond Ionia's shores. This 'Kingdom of Caelari' has always fascinated me, as I could never find a record of it. In the old tongue it literally translates as Sky People or People of the Heavens. I could never find reference to them so I went digging through the orders archives. What I found was astonishing."

"What was it?" said Diana, now hanging on the soldier's every word,

"We were always different from most Ionian marital order, in both creed and goal, but I never understood why. Then I found a set of document dated back 1, 134 years, to the lead up to the first Rune War. They were marshaling orders, given by the 'Celestial Chosen' for the Sons of War to march towards the Margon Pass and cut off a column of 'Noroxan' troops from entering. The message ended by saying, as near as I could tell, 'This mission is of critical importance commander, Caelari everywhere are counting on you and your men. May the Sun and the Moon forever bless your path.' We appear to have been the army, or at least a military arm of this Caelari Kingdom, and they must have been marshaling strength for the coming Rune War. There were maps detailing our troop movements, specific town locations, and even a small city, but they were all contained in the vaults of Potroga, and so are all but lost to us now."

Diana sat there frozen for a moment, letting the soldiers words sink in. So it HAD been true! The Solari and Lunari had at once been a single entity. And had been ruled by the Celestial Chosen.

"So your saying that this civilization…"

"…could perhaps have been the precursor to the modern Solari and Lunari doctrines. They could indeed have come from the same place."

"By the moon… that is incredible! If we could find proof of this there could be chance for my people to have peace." Said Diana excitement creeping into her voice at the prospect of finally gaining some traction.

"Proof of what?" asked a new voice from the table side. Diana looked up to see a man in purple Summoner's robes standing next to them.

"Hello to you too, Thrulios." Said the Commander with a raised eyebrow, "Diana and I were just discussing a mutually interesting academic matter. Now, is there something you require my friend?"

"Oh, right. You've been requested for Ionia's 5v5 practice match, and actually so have you Diana. It'll be a good way for you to make an impression on the other Summoners at the Institute. It'll also let the high councilors decide if you need to be buffed or nerfed depending on your performance." Said T-Dog, his voice moving at lightning speed for fear that he had angered the newest champion of the League.

"Thrulios, I've just had two cups of wine and its 7:30 in the morning. Speak common, and speak slowly please. Jumpy little mouse." Said Maximus exasperatedly, the last bit muttered under his breath. The Summoner breathed in deeply and sighed before responding,

"Right, so this is going to be your first real match. You'll be getting summoned by an Ionian ranked team called The Sovereigns of Shao-Xul. I've been told to go over some things with you before the match, which is in about an hour… wait, two cups of wine? Really?" said the Summoner, coming to the realization of just how strange that was.

"Well I'm sorry, but I just died. As in dead, drape the cape over my shield and bury me, dead. And the person who did it is across the table from me no less. I will drink if I damn well please. Now what do you feel the need to discuss?" said the commander defensively.

"Oh, right. Forgot how weird it can be the first time. Anyway, so as this is your first broadcast match, you get the chance to make an entrance." Said the Summoner

"An 'entrance'? What exactly does that mean?" asked the warrior,

"Just what it sounds like. You can enter the arena any way that you wish. And you get a little bit of time to show off, you know standard chest pounding and such."

The Commander's eye lit up at this, and both Summoner and Champion could see the wheels turning in his head, "This could be quite a bit of fun." Said the warrior

"It's a nice way to start a reputation." Said Diana, "I teleported onto the field in a beam of moonlight and gave the whole audience a lightshow to show my power then capped it off with one of my standard ultimatums and went to get my starting items. It was great at terrifying my lane opponent."

"So, you got any ideas?" asked Thrulios

"Yes, yes indeed I do." Replied the Commander conspiratorially, before leaning forward to tell the Summoner.

The Summoners for The Sovereigns of Shao-Xul were at their appointed chamber making their preparation rites for their match. Their newest member, Ivan Tregoch, was reading through the background of the newest champion of the League, who was to be joining them for that match.

**_Maximus, the Iron Fist of Ionia._**

**_Ionia is a land dedicated to the pursuit of enlightenment, though not all of its inhabitants accomplish this through peaceful means. Since the time of the first Sovereigns, The Sons of War have stood guard over the island. An order that believes that growth can be achieved only through conflict, they have been at odds with the mostly pacifist order of their island home since the beginning. They are soldiers, not warriors. Striving for discipline and perfection of the group, as well as the individual, their practice of the 'Stance of the Mountain' makes them stand apart from most of their island brethren. The Sons of War are led by the Centurion Primus, a living embodiment of War. It is an office that can only be gained by skill in combat, strength of character, and tactical wisdom. Maximus Ironarm has all of these and more._**

**_A soldier of unequaled prowess, Maximus led the Sons of War through one of the most trying ordeals in their history, The Noxian Invasion. When the Noxians landed on Ionia's southern shores The Sons of War were the first to respond. Maximus and his personal command, known as Aquila Company, held the Noxians at bay while the townships north of the coast were evacuated. Many scholars, including High General Swain, point to their early actions as the reason why Ionia managed to hold on as long as it did. Maximus and the Sons participated in almost every major engagement of the war, including many battles with Fury Company led by current League Champion Riven the Exile. Even after losing his left eye, ear, and most of his face Maximus still fought on. Maximus' last action of the war proved to be his down fall however. While attempting to retake his order's ancestral home of Potroga Fortress, Maximus broke the cease fire that had been brokered the day before, by attacking Noxian troops stationed there. The Ionian council then banished Maximus and the Sons of War from the Ionian Isles for war crimes and threatening the peace._**

**_Maximus brings to the battle field years of tactical and combat experience, and an unerring ability to find his opponents weak points. _**

**_"Maximus fights on not only for himself, nor his men, nor even merely for his country. He fights for every soul he has been unable to save and has sworn to avenge. He is a powerful ally, and a terrifying foe."_**

**_-Dutchess Karma_**

Miriya Li, another summoner for the team, was trying to express her irritation at her teammates and perform her summoning rites at the same time. Her failure to do so was causing her teammates to make a few mistakes of their own due to equal parts laughter and exasperation.

"Can someone remind me again why we are summoning the convicted and banished war criminal to represent our nation for this match?" she asked agitatedly, having to go back several steps due to a misused rune. This earned a groan from a summoner standing across from her.

"For spirits sake, Miri, give it a rest. The man is not a war criminal he's a hero, and besides, it's not like we haven't summoned some unsavory characters for our matches. Why are you treating this guy so harshly?" asked Ivan, who was now finished with his rites and was simply standing there debating Miriya,

"How is he a hero? He failed in defending the Southern Provinces, or any Ionian territory for that matter. He leads an army of paramilitary war mongers. He tried to coerce the Council of Elders into going to war! He has no place bringing such violence and conflict to our shores." Said the angry summoner.

"The Sons of War were the first to respond to the Noxian invasion. If they hadn't been there to hold them back the Noxians would have swept north and taken the Placidium before anyone could stop them. Maximus and his men helped win us the war." Said Haruko Ojima, the oldest member of the group. She spoke calmly, not wanting to aggravate Miriya more and set her even further back.

"Irelia won us the war." Said Miriya harshly, "The Ionian Guard won us the war. It was only after Irelia join that we even made slight headway against them. And then what does this Maximus do once we've driven them back? He attacks the Noxians AGAIN! The Sons of War are an anachronistic warrior cult from before Ionia's enlightenment lead by a bloodthirsty warlord who was willing to sacrifice peace for a shot at glory." Said Miriya, an edge of victory in voice as the summoning rites completed.

"Well, when you put it like that he does seem like more than little bit of an asshole." Said a new voice. Miriya looked up to thank whoever it was that supported her, only to find that all of her teammates and all but one of the champions they were summoning were in front of her, and the voice had come from behind.

'There is no way my luck is that bad.' She thought as she realized who was missing.

"And yes, you are right. Irelia did win us the war. But I like to think I helped a little." Said the voice. Miriya turned stiffly around to face the voice's owner, and found herself looking up at none other than Maximus Ironarm of The Sons of War. She had never seen a more terrifying and awe-inspiring thing in her life.

The soldier was covered with polished steel armor. Everything from his stance to his sword at his hip seems to radiate raw power. His great helm was held under his right arm, baring the scars on his head for all to see. His left eye socket was covered but the scars and burns still shown. It was only in this moment that Miriya realized how much she had screwed up.

'I just trash talked one of the most deadly warriors in all of history, and he was standing there the whole time. I am so dead.' she thought, the color draining from her face. Upon seeing her expression, Maximus smirked at her and said,

"Oh don't worry. I'm not going to eat you." Then his face turned suddenly serious and his voice threatening, "Yet." If Miriya had been any more scared she would have lost control of her bladder. Seeing her expression go from scared to terrified, Maximus could no longer maintain his straight face, and burst out laughing.

"Oh dear spirits child. The look on your face!" he said, now doubled over laughing. Wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, he straightened himself and spoke, "Now then, what exactly am I supposed to do for this summoning?" he asked still smiling widely.

"Come over here champion." Spoke Summoner Ojima, leading him away from the still dazed Miriya. When Maximus was beside her she spoke again, "Stand upon this rune facing inward, and relax."

"Alright." said Maximus. Ojima then turned to the other members of her team,

"Is everyone ready?" when they all answered in the affirmative, Ojima walked over to her summoning globe and said, "Then let us begin."

Maximus felt a tingling sensation on his skin, then with a flash of blue light he left the platform. Opening his eye the soldier took in his surroundings. The team was now in a line shoulder to shoulder, Dutchess Karma, Varrus the archer, the fox Ahri, Shen of the Kinkou, and himself. The enemy team stood across from them, but before Maximus could examine them, he felt a pulling sensation on his mind before suddenly a voice could be hear within his head.

_'Commander Maximus, I am Summoner Ivan and I will be guiding you for this battle.' _Spoke the voice.

**'**They shall feel the mountain's wrath, Summoner' "spoke" Maximus back through the mental link.

_'Alright, so as you probably know, as this is your first match and so you have the chance to make an entrance. Put any thought into that?'_

'Yes, I have an idea. I will be away from the rest of the team correct?'

_'Yes, they will spawn in the fountain, you will be in front of the Nexus.' _Spoke the Summoner through the link. Maximus started to feel his innards shifting as the summoning progressed

'Alright told me that there are Ki blocks in place for these matches, I will need you to remove themso I can give a true display of my power.'

_'Already done. Anything else?'_

'No, if I cannot impress them as I am, then I am not worthy to be here.' Thought, the commander.

_'Very well sir. On a personal note sir, many members of my family were and are soldiers in the Sons of War, and so it is an honor to fight with you today.' _Said the Summoner proudly

'Glad to have you along soldier. Now let's show them what we can do, eh? Stand like the mountain!' said Maximus, giving the first line of the Sons of War's battle cry.

_'Strike like the Thunder!"_

At this, the darkness then flashed away. And Maximus found himself standing on a great paved-stone pad looking out at a grand forest valley. Before he could make any more observations, a great voice boomed over the valley,

"Welcome to Summoner's Rift!"

_ (A/N): Well there you have it folks, Chapter 2. Remember to review the story and let me know how I did. Thank you to those of you who followed this story, you guys helped to break my writers block in a big way. Also sorry if the document looks a little weird, messed up the format and I can't seem to fix it. Anyway, have a good one!_


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